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School board to discuss superintendent search, contract for new superintendent

The Palm Beach County School Board will meet today (Wednesday) beginning at 2 p.m. for a workshop and special meeting that may draw quite a few public speakers looking to air their views on the three remaining superintendent finalists.

James Browder has removed his name from consideration for the Palm Beach County Schools superintendent position.

Members of the Facebook group TINT: Testing is Not Teaching are urging teachers, parents and others to wear red and sign up to speak at this evening’s meeting to share their thoughts, opinions and concerns on the three finalists vying to replace ousted Superintendent Art Johnson.

As it stands now, finalists will be coming for three intensive days of interviews and meet-and-greets the week of Feb. 6. The school board may choose the next superintendent as early as its Feb. 15 meeting.

School board member Jenny Prior Brown said Tuesday that she welcomes comments from the public regarding their thoughts on the superintendent search, but urged people to keep an open mind and to take the time to speak with the finalists, either over the phone or during the scheduled meet-and-greets next week.

“I respect anyone’s right to come out and talk to us at any time,” Brown said. “But I will put more stock in comments I get after next week than I get at this point in the process.”

The board will discuss the superintendent search, as well as a potential employment contract for the new superintendent, at today’s meeting.

The draft employment contract for the next superintendent calls for a base salary of $225,000, a take-home car and other benefits, as well as different buyout and termination provisions than were in the contract of former Superintendent Art Johnson.

Under the draft contract, the board could dismiss the superintendent without cause following a simple majority vote. Under Johnson’s employment contract, the board needed a supermajority vote and had to give 90 days notice before removing him.

When Johnson last February signed a settlement to end his decade at the helm of the Palm Beach County School District, he stayed on the district payroll another 90 days.

Board members today can choose to change some of the contract’s contents. They can empower board Chairman Frank Barbieri to negotiate some of the terms, such as the base salary, with the new superintendent. They also can choose to offer the contract on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.

Once the board makes any tweaks, the contract will be forwarded to the three finalists.